


Crossed Lines

by Nims Archive (Underratedmoon)



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Crossover between Odyssey and Syndicate, Gen, Immortal Alexios, Some angst, Staff Keeper Kassandra
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:48:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26452093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Underratedmoon/pseuds/Nims%20Archive
Summary: "What would you do if the one you held most dear was at risk of being lost forever?"Jacob is called in to find out who is behind a massacre in the streets of London, however, it leaves him with more questions than answers. The Frye Twins get pulled into a deeper conspiracy spanning millennia, putting the Assassin/Templar war on the back burner. They are forced to welcome some surprising guests who are reluctant to reveal what they know. Kassandra, and her brother, Alexios, have been around the world and their current mission has brought them to London, but they refuse to explain why. However, their efforts end up clashing with the established powers that be, interrupting everything. Relationships are tested and morals questioned when pushed to understand everything they thought they knew about their fight.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	1. Prologue: Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story that has been in the works for a bit. It plays a little loose with the lore of the Staff and other Isu Artifacts. The story will play out during the events of Syndicate and potentially beyond. Kass and Alexios are both technically immortal because of the artifact. This will play into the plot of the story.

The air of London was just as muggy and disgusting as had been described. Smokestacks and factories dotted the landscape, towering above the homes and the streets of London. It was a dense and busy city. People both domestic and foreign walked the streets. In the distance, one could hear the steam engines running through the city. Even from the port, the city was a sight to behold. One of impressive innovation and expansion. But, stepping off of the ship onto the docks, the city held another feeling. One of imbalance and disastrous consequences. To newcomers, this place was another den of strangled control and yet, chaos. 

Many new people were stepping off the boats in the port. They were from a variety of classes and backgrounds. A particular pair of travelers were disembarking with the crowd. They towered over most, a male and a female. Both had the appearance of foreigners from their hair to their clothing, and with the addition of foreign weapons attached to their persons, and a set of luggage being carried with them. But with the current crowd, they blended in easily enough.

Once they had made their way down the dock towards the street, an angered sigh escaped from the man’s lips. “Do you really believe this is the correct venture?” 

He didn’t receive an answer fast enough so Alexios stopped himself, grabbing onto his sister’s arm, pulling her to turn to him. “Kassandra.”

Kassandra turned her head and gave a tired sigh. Alexios released her from his grip and crossed his arms over his chest. “We didn’t just travel thousands of miles for nothing,” Alexios grumbled out.

Shaking her head, Kassandra turned away from her brother and closed her eyes. “Our contacts say it’s here. The research says it’s here. And news says there are other people going after it now as well. We all know it’s here. It’s just a matter of time before it reveals itself.”

Just as she finished speaking, Alexios spotted a woman standing near a fancy black carriage. She had her hand up in the air, beckoning them over. Kassandra took notice of this as well and the two of them made their approach.

Kassandra nodded her head as they stopped next to the carriage and set down their bags. “Arianne, I presume.”

“It’s a pleasure to formally meet you, Kassandra.”

Her voice was soft, with a hint of a welsh accent. Arianne was dressed in a green-lined leather waistcoat with a hood and trousers tucked into knee-high boots with a green belt tied thrice around her waist. Her raven black hair was tied up in a tight bun with a few loose strands. There seemed to be a few lingering in the streets with similar colors. Her face had a bright smile, and her eyes planted on Alexios. “And Alexios, a pleasure to meet you too. Kassandra mentioned about you in her letters.”

Kassandra chuckled, “He’s not as scary as he looks.”

Alexios sighed and rolled his eyes. “Kassandra...” She just gave him a light jab in the side in response.

Arianne took a hold of their bags and loaded them up onto the carriage. Once that was done, she pulled open the door to allow them entrance. Inside was a set of packages on the seat. “I made sure to get everything you requested.” 

Kassandra and Alexios loaded themselves into the carriage and picked up the packages. Arianne popped her head into the carriage for a moment, “And if there are any issues with them, please let me know.” And with that, the carriage door was closed. She climbed on to the front and issued the horses to move.

Once feeling the carriage move, Kassandra relaxed back into the seat and closed her eyes. Alexios had his focus on his sister, his body tense. Kassandra could sense that from him, having been together long enough to know when something was troubling him. 

“Alexios? Is there something you want to say?”

Her eyes opened slightly to stare at him, however, he immediately turned his head to look out the window. The carriage was moving slowly with the afternoon traffic. The streets were full of other similar carriages and even buses. It was something that even with the times, gave an unfamiliar feeling. 

Kassandra leaned herself forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Her eyes remained trained on her brother. They studied over the scars on his face, hidden mostly by the stubble he refused to shave or grow out. Additional scars that had been obtained over the centuries they had been traveling, many more beneath his clothes.

Compared to herself, her skin never bared new markings. She wasn’t too sure how it worked in relation to the staff, but it was something that concerned both of them. 

Alexios spent some time in silence, not willing to voice his concerns, at least not yet. His sister reached out across the carriage and grabbed onto his hand, taking it in her own. “We will figure it out, brother. That still is my top priority.”

Their eyes met and the siblings gave an exchange of expressions. The feeling was reassuring. He wrapped his fingers around her hand, returning the gesture. 

They remained like this for a minute before the carriage came to a halt. They were stopped in front of a long row of townhouses in a richer part of the city. They heard a rapid knock on the roof before Arianne jumped down to the ground. The door to the carriage opened up, and Arianne held her hand out, directing them to the building in front of them. The townhouse was well taken care of, however empty of occupants. 

“This should suffice for you while you’re here in London. This place is the main City of London, and the building is known as The Wrights Office. The Thames is over in that direction," she pointed beyond the buildings, “And Southwark and Lambeth are south of here beyond the river. Westminster is, well west, and Whitechapel is directly north.”

The siblings exited the carriage, carrying their packages with them. Alexios eyed the building with a bit of suspicion. “Should I be asking how you managed this, sister?” Kassandra was busying herself grabbing their bags from Arianne and simply chuckled.

She ushered Alexios to the door of the house and handed him the bags. He walked into the home and left Kassandra on the street. She was making one last bit of conversation with Arianne. 

“All the documents you asked for should be in the study on the third floor. A lot of it is either handwritten or borrowed, so you better examine them as much as you can. I’ll have to return them before too long.”

Kassandra nodded. “Thank you for the extra help.”

Arianne climbed herself back onto the driver's seat and nodded. “I’m doing what I can. The Brotherhood doesn’t exactly trust outsiders.”

Kassandra reached her hand out and shook Arianne’s. “I understand that.”

Once they released their hands, Arianne took a hold of the reigns and looked ahead. She pondered for a moment and gave one last parting word to Kassandra. “I know I explained in my letters how things work here in London.” She paused, trying to gather her words. “But being told and actually seeing are two different things.”

Kassandra nodded her head, recalling all the information having been given to her. From the Templars to the gangs. “I understand.”

Arianne gave a smile. “Just remember, the green are friendly but don’t pick fights with them. The red is Templar dogs. And the black, well you should be able to tell from their crosses. The bastards.”

One last thought crossed her mind as she went to pull the carriage away. “Oh and please don’t cause trouble with the police or the Rook’s leaders. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“I’ll be sure to keep out of trouble as much as we can.”

Kassandra waved her off and went to enter the townhouse. After shutting the door, she heard frustrated grumblings from upstairs. 

Ascending the staircase, she could make out small complaints from her brother. “Malaka... why are there so many fucking layers...” Once she turned the corner, she saw her brother, half-dressed. The package was opened and the gear and clothing were strewn all over the room. It was as if a tornado had come through the room in the minutes she had left him alone.

“What did you do?”

Alexios turned his head to his sister and shook his hands at the clothing. “I don’t like it.”

She walked over to him and studied the clothing that he had before him. “I can tell. Why don’t you figure out what you do and don’t want? And we can go from there.”

He sighed and started picking up and examining the clothing. Kassandra just thought that this was going to be a long night.

The next day, the siblings had finally figured out the clothing and taken it to a tailor nearby. Both Kassandra and Alexios needed to get them altered further beyond what they had requested initially. Mostly just to satisfy Alexios.

Taking the clothing back to the townhouse, Kassandra got into it quite easily, while Alexios went right back to complaining. This time about the footwear. She swore she had heard him mutter something about ‘feet prisons’. She left him to his own devices as she got herself ready.

She was dressed in a white blouse with a black waistcoat lined with red trim and a pair of black trousers with knee-high leather boots. A set of grey belts were tied around her waist with straps to attach her weapons to. She also had the option to wear a bullet grey frock jacket with a red-lined interior and black pockets but chose not to put it on in the house.

Currently, she was lounging in a chair on the third floor, reading through the documents they had received. It had been arranged for them to have a couple of days to make their own notes before it had to be returned by Arianne. 

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. “Did you finally figure it out?”

Alexios stood at the top of the stairs, dressed in more formal clothing than he was used to. He let out a soft groan. The clothing was more restricting than their previous local, something he was starting to dearly miss. Even with how much time had passed and with how much ground they had covered throughout the world, neither was truly comfortable in the current times or with the current clothing. It didn’t matter if their Spartan armor had been discarded millennia ago, there was still some comfort that came from having armor to protect you.

From the red brocade waistcoat, he had buttoned up over the white poet’s shirt, which he refused to add a tie to the collar. His bottom half consisted of a simple pair of trousers and a pair of dark brown boots covering his calves. Over top, he wore a dark grey frock jacket, undone. Alexios wasn’t entirely comfortable but he would bear with it.

With a light huff, he answered. “This will do.”

Kassandra took notice of the shirt he was wearing and it caused her to let out a laugh. “I’m pretty sure that wasn’t what came with the outfit.”

Alexios shrugged off the comment and walked over to the desk with all the documents. He began reading through some of them, running his eyes over some of the diagrams and images. “You really think this is going to work?”

Questions and more were circulating both their minds, but they knew they couldn’t just storm through the city and take what they came for. Kassandra understood it all too well. “We are going to find a way through this. And if this doesn’t work, we will figure something else out.”

She had put down her book and moved herself to stand next to her brother. A hand was placed on his shoulder. Her eyes studied his face as he continued to look over the papers. Her gaze trailed down to look at his chest, a small set of white markings faintly running across his skin. They were paired with scars near his collarbone. 

He felt her eyes lingering and let out a sigh. “We still have plenty of time sister. I believe it.”

She nodded her head and turned away from him. “True, but, you are gonna need to tie your collar.”

Alexios went to protest but she just threw a dark red tie at his face. “No arguments.”

They ended up spending the rest of the evening going over the documents. When they finally felt tired of fighting through the information and taking notes, Kassandra proposed they head out to cover some ground based on the notes they were reading. Alexios was fast to agree with it. 

However, Alexios spoke of the potential dangers with where they were going and the time of night, mentioning they should bring their weapons. Kassandra was hesitant to consider this, as most people in this city were civilians or people thrown into tough situations fighting to survive. Much like how things had been back during their early times in Greece. 

Her eyes studied the gear they had been gifted by Arianne. From small knives to blades to pistols. All were weapons the two had become familiar with. But not many of them were things either wanted to use. 

Alexios had already gone off, to retrieve his Sword of Damokles. Even after millennia, that blade still held itself. In comparison, Kassandra hadn’t retained the spear of Leonidas, having gifted it to Herodotus long ago. She had transferred it out for the use of the staff. Yet something she had discovered was being able to alter the appearance of the staff. So, for familiarity, she carried the staff as a near-identical likeness to the upgraded spear. That was now kept strapped to her right thigh. 

When Alexios returned, the Sword of Damokles was strapped onto his back, a custom strap having been sewn into his jacket to accommodate it. The blade had a series of leather straps and a cloth covering to cover it, however, the hilt still stuck out over his left shoulder.

Additionally, both siblings secured small daggers and throwing knives onto their persons but refused to handle the pistols. Hand to hand was still their preferred style.

And so the two siblings departed, Kassandra, taking her jacket with her as well and they headed off for Lambeth to begin their investigations. However, they had already caught the eyes of some of the more prominent citizens in the city. So leaving the townhouse, eyes were already on them.

Kassandra and Alexios took to walking towards their destination. But they knew they were being watched. After some time, Alexios had started counting the reds and the greens they saw as they walked on by. Once the greens seemed to vanish, Alexios signaled for them to stop.

Stopping in the middle of the street, there were no carriages or people walking around. It was like a ghost town. However, Kassandra could pick up some footsteps through the mud. It had been a fresh rainfall before they left.

Her eyes ran one way while Alexios trained in the other direction. There was a group of red coats on either side. Neither sibling moved from where they were, but they weren’t going to immediately go into a fighting position. It was then that the sky seemed to open up and unleash a downpour.

The red coats surrounded them and blockaded the street. Alexios had a small smile on his lips. “We finally get the welcome wagon to this glorious city.”

Kassandra laughed. “I wonder how welcome we will be after this.”

There was no attempt for either of them to make conversation with the red coats. They didn’t really care to try. From the information fed to them, Kassandra knew they were paid to fight and work as enforcers. And whatever they were going to try to enforce on the Spartans wasn’t going to work. 

Kassandra took a deep breath and whispered to her brother. “If they want an answer, we’ll leave them a Spartan message.” 

Just as those words left her mouth, one of the red coats spoke up. They seemed to be one of the ones in charge here. “We don’t like newcomers prancing around all fancy in our territory. Our bosses send their regards.”

Guns were raised from the red coats and with a flash of lightning followed by a rumbling of thunder, a battle in the streets began.


	2. Investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to get down to business. Some of the dialogue and situation will sound familiar since an earlier drafted version of this chapter was posted as a preview. Details have been updated to fit the larger story.

He yawned. It was way too early to be up at such a time, yet here Jacob was, being called on duty. A Rook had come on the train at the last stop and told him there was an urgent matter that he needed to attend to. He hadn't been told for what exactly, beyond trouble with the Blighters. Jacob made the cautious decision to drag the Rooks with him to work whatever the case was. It was barely even light out when they departed.

Evie was still in bed and he decided not to wake her when he left the train. But as a precaution, he left a note on her desk. It was short and to the point. Then departed from the train with the Rooks at the nearest station. There was a carriage waiting for them with a Rook at the reigns. 

Getting on the front of the carriage while the Rooks piled inside, Jacob addressed the driver. "Any extra information?"

The Rook gave a shake of their head as they whipped the reigns and the horses began to move. Jacob gave another yawn and then checked on his weapons. He didn't know what they were going to be getting into. All he knew was they had to head to Lambeth.

When the carriage arrived, there was a lot more light and the streets were beginning to become busy. The carriage stopped itself a block from where all the commotion was. This was due to a large crowd of people and Police carriages blocking off the streets. 

Jacob suddenly realized the severity of the situation as he disembarked from the carriage. His expression grew serious as he approached the street. Immediately, his eagle vision activated for a moment. The second it was, his eyes widened in shock. 

There was a collection of bodies that were scattered through the street. He tried to count but stopped at the double digits. His eagle vision ceased and he stopped in his tracks. Raising his hand and on his order, the Rooks took off. They fanned out to find out what they could from the crowd. He would deal with the police.

Inhaling a deep breath, the smell of death now hitting his nose mixed with the smell of more rain, he closed his eyes and steadied himself. Opening them again, he reactivated his eagle vision and scanned the people, looking for Freddie. It took him a minute with so many policemen around, but he finally found him near the far end of the street, standing near a damaged building. 

Jacob approached the police line and pulled the brim of his hat low. He didn't want to announce himself yet, giving the Rooks time to find out what was going on. Approaching one of the police, they immediately held up an arm, ordering him to back off. Jacob took the cautious approach and pulled a small bundle of coins from his pocket.

Stepping up to the officer, he lowered his voice. "Are you able to tell me what is going on, Officer?"

Jacob raised the small bundle of coins just into view and the Officer gave him a look. The Officer quickly looked away before holding his hand out. Jacob dropped the coins into his hand and the Officer pocketed it. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. 

"A gang fight but we don't know who's done it. We only got Blighters dead in the streets. No one left alive."

Jacob gave a nod of his head and stood up straight. "Thank you for the information."

Turning himself away from the officer, he walked back behind the crowd and waited for the Rooks to return to him. It took some time for them to report back. But when they finally did, Jacob felt more confused than ever. Now was the time he felt he needed to approach Freddie. 

But first, he took to the roof of the nearest building after sending the Rooks back out to do further investigations. One Rook was sent off to inform the rest of the gang network to begin gathering information. Jacob also made a note to talk to Clara later and see if she could find anything out.

Upon the roof, Jacob began going over the information that had been given to him. The reports just didn't make sense, yet here Jacob was, looking at them. Blighters lay dead in the middle of the street. The entire block had to be blocked off and it looked like the homes were either abandoned or evacuated. The bodies were scattered over quite a distance, some looking like they had been thrown with the force usually only seen being hit by a carriage, or maybe even a train. Jacob couldn't quite figure it out.

He spent some time surveying the block before he slipped back to the ground. It took him a bit to slip passed the line of police, but as he did, he took a closer look at some of the bodies. Just taking a glance as he walked towards Freddie was more than enough to see how severe the fighting had been.

Some of the bodies looked brutalized. Beaten and punctured to a bloody pulp, almost unrecognizable. The street and the buildings were also damaged, beyond what could be considered possible by any human. Yet the next logical step, which would have been a carriage or other mode of transportation being used as a battering ram, left no evidence. There were only footprints covering the muddied and bloodied streets.

Jacob examined the footprints around him. The boot prints matched the Blighters but he wasn't sure exactly who was who due to the muddied rain overnight. Once Jacob got to Freddie, there was no moment wasted. The questions began to fly. Was it the Fryes? Was it the Rooks? Did the gangs do anything he should know about? What can and can't be accounted for? All Jacob could do was shake his head. 

The explanation he gave was that he knew as much as the police at this point. "Look Freddie," Jacob sighed. "I wish I could just say it was a one and done. But I still can't give you an answer. I only heard about this from my Rooks this morning. Word has already been sent to find out more from around town to see if they can dig up anything."

Abberline nodded his head at Jacob's words but still didn't like the answers. It only left more confusion. "This isn't just another gang war?"

"No." Jacob uttered lowly. "Though Lambeth is currently Blighter territory." His eyes darted off to the crowd of onlookers before turning himself so no one could see his face. "My Rooks have been making ground but this was not us."

With another nod of his head, Abberline brought up the next prompt. "Then what can you tell me about this? From your experience."

Jacob took this push to separate from Abberline and survey the scene more thoroughly. His eagle vision was activated once again as he walked through the scene. He examined everything from the footprints to the trail of destruction and the wounds on the bodies. It gave some interesting details but left more questions in the end. Abberline followed close behind Jacob, also waving off any of the officers who attempted to question the Assassin's presence. 

"A consult."

Jacob heard that word and it caused him to chuckle. But his focus returned to looking through the scene. He stopped himself at one of the more intact bodies resting near a damaged house. The bricks were freshly broken as if some large mass had hit it. His eyes studied the bricks and noticed the imprint of a body, but it was not the one that was currently laying on the ground. 

Crouching down next to said body, he inspected the injuries. The cuts looked familiar, like something he had seen before. Against Abberline's words, Jacob moved the body, turning it over. Taking a close look, he saw the work of two-bladed weapons. Short, clean slashes, eerily similar to that of a hidden blade. Though some of them appeared less clean. The throats were slashed on all the bodies he had been looking at. But additionally, there was a second set of wounds that appeared on all the bodies.

Jacob rose back to his feet and looked back at some of the previous bodies, including a pair that were laying in the middle of the street. These two looked like they had been brutalized further than the clean kills on the side. They had been slashed and impaled with a longer blade. Jacob took particular interest in the precise punctures through the skull and the chest. 

"Kill shot or a precaution..." He muttered to himself.

Abberline heard his words. "Have you found anything?"

Jacob held up a hand and shook his head. He didn't want his train of thought interrupted. This was something new to the Inspector, seeing Jacob so serious. 

Jacob raised his head and took another overview of the street. Counting the bodies, he noticed more was brutalized than not. He had examined most of them, but then as he turned, he noticed there was another in an alleyway, near the collapsed bricks. His eyes focused on the corpse. It was another Blighter, but there was something else to it. 

Approaching the alley, Jacob noticed immediately that there was a throwing knife sticking out of one of the man's eye sockets. Eagle vision deactivated, he reached out and grabbed the blade, plucking it from the wound. It was hidden from sight before Abberline came up behind him. 

"Did you discover anything?"

Jacob gave a quick shrug of his shoulders. "Just something I must look into later." The Inspector didn't appear satisfied with the answer but Jacob simply passed him off with another response. "I'd suggest some privacy for a moment, Freddie." Jacob raised his line of sight to him. "Don't fret, I will share my findings with you after. I'm not going anywhere."

Abberline accepted and went back to the rest of the scene. Jacob withdrew the knife and then pulled out his own. Two different blades but still similar enough for him become suspicious. With this quickly creating a new line of questions, Jacob went over all the information he had in his head. Some time passed before he felt ready to present to the Inspector. From the blades to the knife, he wasn't sure what his conclusion was. Upon going to exit the alley, Jacob noted a discarded pistol that looked to have been fired. He took a secondary note of the nearest bodies and reached another conclusion. They had used guns, as was normal for the Blighters, but none of the bodies had bullet wounds.

Everything gave him different questions, different potential paths down which he could potentially guess the perpetrators. The closest he could come to any conclusion that even with the faith he had in his Rooks, there was no way they could have pulled off a kill this massive, nor hide it from him. The Templars were another suspect, but the grudges they had on the turning Blighters wouldn't have left a massacre like this. 

The last prime suspect he had put a fear in his mind. Jacob couldn't remove the consideration that someone from the Brotherhood could have completed these kills. They would have had the training and skill to pull it off, much like the Frye twins. But there had been no news of new assassins being sent to London. Henry would have heard. Besides, most were still too afraid to face Starrick directly.

All that was left was to have the dreaded discussion with the Inspector. As Jacob left the alleyway, Abberline stepped up. Jacob hugged his back to the wall of the townhouse and lowered the rim of his hat. "Follow."

Abberline obliged, silently, and followed Jacob as he walked them out beyond the bounds of the street and around another house's corner. Once Jacob felt far enough from the crowds and officers, he removed his top hat, shaking his head. "Look, Freddie," Jacob spoke low. "I can't tell you who's done this."

Abberline eyed Jacob suspiciously. "Is it because you know the person who did it?"

"People," Jacob corrected him. His hands were fiddling with his top hat.

"So you can confirm there were multiple assailants."

Jacob paused, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words. "Look, Freddie–" He sighed, "Obviously no one person could have done this."

"I've seen you and your sister take down nearly as many before," Abberline interjected.

Jacob chuckled. "While I appreciate your confidence in my skills. I can assure you, neither of the Fryes has been involved in this crime. Nor any among my Rooks. As I said earlier."

Abberline sighed, clearly frustrated as he had hoped it had been another easy closed case from the gangs. However, Jacob still had a serious look on his face. His attention returned and Abberline allowed him to continue.

"Look, Freddie, from what I can tell you, the ones who did this, they are skilled. They know how to take a life. I can't confirm nor deny if it was a Templar hit..." Jacob trailed off but Abberline knew what he was getting at.

"Or someone from your side."

Jacob nodded. Abberline accepted the information. "I'll keep that in mind in the investigation. But I can't guarantee what we may find."

Jacob simply retorted. "I can't guarantee my tardiness from said investigation."

Abberline looked like he was about to respond with a reprimand but kept it to himself. He had known the Frye twins long enough that lectures weren't going to deter them from something of this scale. He took a moment to ponder the next steps when Jacob turned his head.

"What is it?"

Jacob looked back around the corner, feeling as if there were suddenly eyes on the two of them. Abberline followed his line of sight. Across the block, standing among the group of onlookers was a man who seemed to tower above the others. His dark brown hair was styled in a way foreign to London, half tied up in a bun with beads tied into sections of his hair. The rest of his clothing, however, seemed the same as everyone else. But the red the man wore gave him further suspicion, along with what looked like the handle of a weapon poking over his shoulder.

In a flash, Jacob's eagle vision activated. Had he been there earlier? His mind was suddenly racing but he blinked away his eagle vision for the moment. Jacob stepped fully around the corner and stared the man down. The look he was giving himself and the Inspector didn't sit well. Their eyes locked for a brief moment. The man's expression was cold and Jacob gave a nasty look in return, but the man never seemed to waver. 

He was about to make a move towards him when Abberline suddenly questioned Jacob on what he was doing. Jacob broke his gaze for a moment and when he returned to the crowd, the man was gone. Jacob couldn't see him anywhere.

"Bloody hell."

Jacob slipped his hat into his jacket and pulled his hood over his head. Abberline watched him, confused. "What is it, Jacob?"

He didn't respond immediately but aimed his zipline at the rooftops. Right before release, he spoke in a hushed tone. "I don't know what to tell you. But from what I can see, that man back there may as well have something to do with these murders and I need to find him."

As soon as the last words left his mouth, Jacob shot up to the rooftops, heading off to find the mysterious man. Abberline didn't fully understand but trusted the younger Frye twin to follow leads where they lead him.

Jacob took off across the roof, his eagle vision activating as he took to searching the streets. He didn't have the time to explain everything to the Inspector but the feeling he got from looking at that man gave him a sense of fear he didn't often feel. It was as if something in him, his very instincts were screaming at him to back off.

He couldn't shake this feeling as he tried searching, albeit in vain, for the mysterious man. Even with his eagle vision, he could only see so far. Yet he couldn't understand how the man could have escaped his sights in such a short period. 

Jacob had to take this new information and give up the chase for the moment. Even he knew this was a task too great for him alone. Evie had to have heard about it from the Rooks by now. Jacob gave a once around the area with his vision before deciding to finish his reporting and get back to the train.

The door to the townhouse closed quietly and Alexios placed his jacket on a chair near the door. He took a look around the darkened home, making a quick check no one was around. He checked to make sure the door and windows were secure before ascending the stairs. Getting to the third floor, the room was only lit by a single lantern. 

It was placed on the desk near some open books and pages. The light was low and the curtains were drawn. As he walked up to the desk, he checked on his sister, currently passed out in the chair. She had a book held open in her lap while her other arm supported her head. She was dress only in her white button-up shirt and trousers, with the sleeves rolled up and the top unbuttoned. The spear was still strapped onto her thigh.

Alexios looked at her peaceful sleeping face, seeing a faint scar line across her face, but it seemed to be healing. He placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Kassandra..."

She seemed to stir slightly but didn't open her eyes. Only offering a small groan in response. Alexios raised his voice slightly. "Kassandra." Her eyes opened slightly, an annoyed expression on her face. She dropped her hand into her lap and looked up at her brother. Alexios sighed and removed his hand from her shoulder.

"You know if you are going to get rest, you should go to bed."

As he spoke, he motioned to the small bed in the corner of the room. Kassandra's eyes followed but then she just rolled them back towards the book. "I don't need to sleep. You know that the Staff-"

"And yet you are sleeping."

Alexios' expression was stern, much like a scolding parent. But there was a hint of concern in his eyes. Kassandra would have found the situation funny, had it not been for that look. Closing her eyes, she closed the book and rose from the chair. "Alright, I understand."

Placing the book on the desk, Kassandra headed back to the bed and sat down on the sheets. She looked over at Alexios and gave a questioning look. "What is it?"

He hesitated to speak, walking over to the curtains and pulling it open slightly. He looked out as if he was checking for something. Kassandra watched, confused. "Alexios..." He approached her after closing the curtain and stood next to the bed. Kassandra questioned him again. "Did something happen?"

"We have caught the attention of more people." He spoke, not making eye contact. 

Kassandra took in a deep breath. "From last night."

Alexios nodded his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "The Police, but also another man, from the green-colored gang."

"The Rooks." She spoke as she laid back on the bed and held her hand to her forehead. "They are the ones run by those twins."

"From the Brotherhood?" Alexios interjected. Kassandra nodded slightly. Alexios just sighed and turned himself away from his sister, walking back towards the stairs. "Then they are going to get in our way at some point."

As he descended the stairs, Kassandra yelled down to him, "Don't pick a fight unless necessary!" Alexios simply responded. "As was necessary last night. I will do what I have to do."

Kassandra let out a sigh and pulled herself fully into bed. Closing her eyes, she was quick to fall back asleep. However, her mind did not remain peaceful.

_Blades were drawn, bodies everywhere. Blood soaking through their clothing but none of it was their own. The rain was falling heavily, washing away the blood into the streets. It mixed with the mud and flowed through the cracks in the stone._

_Kassandra was on the stone sidewalk, sitting against one of the buildings. Bricks were crumbling from the wall around her as if she had been thrown into it. One hand was held to her stomach as she was working hard to catch her breath. Her other hand lay at her side, limply holding onto her spear. Her gaze was on the middle of the road, but the rain and ringing in her head were blurring out her vision._

_In the middle of the street, Alexios was slashing away at a pair of Blighters. His blade came down hard on one's head, cleaving hard into it. The man crumpled to the ground and dragged the sword with him. As he gave a hard yank to bring the blade free of the skull, the other Blighter made a mad stab at Alexios' shoulder but didn't make contact. At the exact moment, Alexios pulled the blade free and pivoted on his heel, swinging the blade to the side. It collided with the Blighter's abdomen and cut in deep. The blade cut deep but didn't remain in the flesh. It pulled free as the body crashed into the street._

_He gave a hard whip of his sword through the rain, attempting to throw off the blood. The Sword of Damokles was then stabbed into the skulls and chests of the bodies that surrounded him. Making sure each of them was dead had become the practice for him._

_Kassandra heard the bodies fall, thudding through the rain, and gave a hearty sigh. "Is that all of them?"_

_Alexios pulled his blade free from one of the bodies and turned his head towards his sister. Stepping around the bodies and walking towards her, he held his blade to his side. His lips parted to speak but no words managed to leave his lips. Instead, he pulled a knife out of his jacket with his free hand and threw it._

_The blade embedded itself in the head of a Blighter who was standing around a corner from Kassandra. A pistol in hand pointed towards Kassandra from the alleyway. The trigger went off as the Blighter fell and the bullet nicked at her face. Kassandra sucked in a breath and closed her eyes at the sudden stinging she felt._

_She heard the pounding of the rain mixed with Alexios' heavy footsteps. Her head was beginning to throb. Alexios ran over to the body and stabbed the blade into the man's chest. "Now that's all of them."_

_Immediately after, he ran over to his sister and dropped down to one knee next to her. He didn't speak another word, only raised his hand to her face, and took a look at the wound. It was already beginning to heal up on the surface, however, her head was still hurting._

_Getting to his feet, Alexios cleaned the sword off and placed it back into its bindings on his back. The next thing he did was grab at Kassandra's wrist and helped pull her to her feet. He helped stabilize her as she slipped the spear into its strap on her thigh. Once it was secure, Kassandra gave Alexios a pat on the shoulder and he pulled away._

_Kassandra took a few steps forward and stopped herself. She held her hand over her abdomen and leaned against the nearby building. Her vision had cleared and she was able to look at her brother more clearly. Her eyes studied him in the dark, and she could make out some cuts and rips on his pants and coat._

_With a lower voice, she question. "Were you injured?"_

_Alexios stepped up next to her and held his hand out. "They wished it was my blood." She lifted her right arm and Alexios hooked his arm around her waist while her arm snaked over his shoulders. "Now let's get home."_


End file.
